Illinois I-Pass users report more Illinois Tollway-Fidus, Phishing-Tekster-NBC Chicago

Several phishing texts aimed at Illinois Tollway I-Pass customers seemed to make the rounds.

Illinois Tollway -Officers warned first about phishing -fidus in the spring of 2024 with Some report on social media That they had received text messages from a state number outside the state and claimed they had unpaid tolls due to the agency. The latest messages appear to be from a 219 area code, according to screens of texts sent to users this weekend.

“Illinois Toll Road: Your vehicle has an unpaid guide to 2024,” one of the texts sent to a group of different phone numbers, partially. The text with multiple emojier then asks users to follow a link to pay “due bill.”

Earlier versions of the phishing text came from area codes outside Chicago and Indiana, with various iterations of the Illinois Tollway name, including “Illinois Toll Way”, “Illinois Tollway Services” or “Illinois Tollway Invoice.”

The latest versions of the Fidus text contained the words “Illinois Toll Road”, shown screens.

Illinois Tollway -Officers did not immediately respond to NBC Chicago’s request for comment. A previous message that was sent to the Tollway Websted that says such messages are ”Not legitimate.”

Agency also reminded users of Correct Illinois Tollway -Web site to pay toll onlineand asked customers who receive a suspicious text to report it to the FBIs Internet Crime Clake Center.

Here is more information about what to do if you receive a text and what to look for:

What to do

• When you recognize a phishing message, do not click on any links or attachments.
• Delete the E -Mail message from your inbox, and then empty it from the Deleted Item folder to avoid accidentally accessing the sites it points to.
• Forward suspicious E emails that appear to be from Illinois Tollway to [email protected].

What to look for

1. Asking for Personal Information: Many phishing emails request personal information such as credit card or account information, passwords, etc. Legitimate emails will never ask you to perform security-related changes to your account or send emails to collect usernames, passwords, e-mail -Dresses or other personal information through e -mail.
2. Official appearance Sender’s e-mail address: The line “From” may contain an E -email address that appears legitimate.
3. False claims: Many phishing -e emails make false claims about the status of your account and ask you to update or validate your account by clicking on an embedded link IE email. Some may also include a false sense of urgency and state that your account may be at risk if it is not updated immediately.
4. Fake links: Many phishing -e emails include links that look valid but send you to a spoof site. Never click on these links as the URL displayed (webpage address) may appear to be legitimate, but can actually show another URL when hovering over the link with your mouse.
5. Attachments: Never click on attachments as they can make you download spyware or a virus.
6. Spelling and poor grammar: Many phishing -e emails contain typos and poor grammar in content.
7. Fraud artists use graphics In e-mail that appears to be connected to legitimate sites but actually leads you to fake scam sites or legitimate looking pop-up windows.